The Legend of Burdock
by Harlequin2
Summary: A prequal to Redwall about Matthias' father, it isn't done yet.


Prologue  
  
Glenther, the ancient squirrel doctor shuddered as he poked his paws into his ears. The new born mouse was so loud! He turned to his assistant, the mole Malo, "My, that's one loud mousebabe."  
  
"Burr aye!" Malo nodded resolutely, "'E 'arve gurtly powerful lungs!"  
  
Glenther smiled, as he looked at the mousebabe, "I think this one will be a powerful warrior."  
  
Malo rummaged through his papers until he found out the identifications for the mousebabe, he read them and then handed them to Glenther, "That'n bee an bowld perdiction furr thee son've ee low-class soiljur. Hmm, Burdock's son. Oi woouldn't stoike ee reputoition on that, if'n Oi was ee."  
  
"No, no, Malo. I know what I'm talking about here. Let's see…. Matthias. Remember that name."  
  
  
  
The Legend of Burdock  
  
  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Burdock Pawstrong was strong mouse soldier who simply couldn't catch a break. He looked at all the jobs listed on the job board. There perfect example! All of the jobs left were jobs not worth a self-respecting Vegatian's time. The Vegatians were a people of war, and the only way anyone could make a name for themselves was to succeed in great looting and murdering campaigns and how could anyone attract any notices with things such as: Church robbing or Dormouse tribe killing. Burdock sighed, all of the good jobs were taken. He passed on the regular Vegatian job board and moved onto the Special Requests Board. These were the jobs that higher warlords wanted done if they were to busy to deal with it, one of them caught Burdock's eye.  
  
By Request of Cluny The Scourge  
  
The complete and total eradication of the Kanassa Tribe of gypsie foxes, at least four hundred. If interested contact Lord Orlando.  
  
Four hundred foxes! Why if Burdock and his crew could wipe out them there fame would be legendary! Burdock hurried to tell the co-captain of his crew Oregano Hedgespike, when he ran smack dab into a mighty badger. Sure enough it was Celero Rawnblade, one of the badger Vegatians who thought they were better then the other mice, hedgehogs, otters, hares, squirrels, and moles that lived in the kingdom of Vegatia.  
  
"Where are you off to in such a hurry, Burdock?" Celero asked with a chuckle.  
  
"To see Lord Orlando, I'm going to accept one of the jobs."  
  
Celero laughed, "A puny mouse like you couldn't be accepting any job that would be worth the attention of Lord Orlando!"  
  
"You know the Tribe of Kanassa? My crew and I are going to wipe the floor with those foxes!"  
  
Celero burst out laughing, "You and Hedgespike think you guys can handle Kanassa! You're fools! Kanassa is a mighty fox and he has about four hundred foxes at his disposal! You haven't a chance."  
  
Burdock sneered at the badger and walked on past him, "We'll see about that Celero."  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Lord Orlando was harsh badger lord and he peered down menacingly at the insolent hare who kneeled before him, "Zukini Quickfoot! My soldiers tell me that you were unable to destroy Holt Quar! Why?"  
  
Zukini gulped, "Well, the otters there were flippin' strong, wot wot! It couldn't be helped! I had to retreat when I realized I had lost a blinkin' half o' my hares!"  
  
"Do you realize that I told Cluny that I would have Holt Quar taken care of by last week!"  
  
"There's nothing I could do sire, wot! It'll only be another two weeks at the most! I need more beasts and more time! I couldn't do it with the flippin' small amount o' hares I had!"  
  
"That's no excuse, Zukini! Get out of my sight!" Lord Orlando shouted.  
  
Zukini Quickfoot gave a scared whimper.  
  
"YOU HEARD ME! GO!" The badgerlord unsheathed his sword and sliced the hare in half as he stood to get up.  
  
"You're such a brute, Orlando." Orlando turned as he saw a huge rat with a tail like a whip in his paws. Cluny The Scourge smiled at him, "I didn't care about those extra two weeks. Oh well."  
  
Cluny nodded towards Lord Orlando's throne, "May I?" Orlando got up and allowed the rat warlord to sit, "Ahh! Still warm, you're too kind Orlando."  
  
"Is there anything I can do for you, Cluny?"  
  
"No, not really. I just came to make sure we were still in agreement about your son."  
  
Orlando stared at the rat with hidden loathing, "Yes… you can… have him."  
  
"Excellent. Young Orlando The Axe will be the perfect henchbeast for my horde. I can use a dumb badger like him as a slave," Cluny glanced at the badger warlord, as if daring him to object. Yet there was nothing Orlando could have said. No one ever stood up against Cluny The Scourge, and the odds were that no one ever would.  
  
"Well I suppose that's all then, badger. Oh, by the way, has anyone taken care of the Kanassan eradication," Cluny asked, getting up.  
  
"No, no one."  
  
"Well I would suggest you do it soon. Those foxes have been a thorn in my side for quite some time. So long, badger." Cluny The Scourge made his way out of the hut as Burdock Pawstrong passed him, "Out of my way, mouse!" Cluny The Scourge snapped at him. Burdock watched him leave, surging with contempt at the rat.  
  
"Is that Burdock Pawstrong?" Lord Orlando gave a hearty belittling laugh, "Well, how's the kingdom's most overzealous mouse doing?"  
  
Burdock worked hard not show his contempt for the badger, "Fine, and how are you, sire?"  
  
"Fine," Orlando lied, "Now what can I do for you?"  
  
"Well, I'm accepting one of the jobs on the job board and it instructs me to go to you."  
  
"Oh? Which job then?"  
  
"The Kanassa eradication." 


End file.
